Self-releasing lid-support.



' mmw G. H. BOWEN, JR. SELF RELEASING LID SUPPORT. APPLICATION FILEDMAR. 24. 1915.

Patented Feb. 6,1917.

[frv s'rns I GEORGE HENRY BOWEN, .13., or 'ronoiv'ro, ONTARIO,CANADAQASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN ennrnornonn Co1nrAnY, or nnmenron'r,CONNECTICUT, A\CORPORATIO1\T OF WEST VIRGINIA.

. c sELr-nnLEAsIne im-snrronn 1 ratemeajrene, iota.

Application filed March 24, 1915. Serial No. 16,817.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HENRY BOWEN, Jr., a citizen of the Dominionof Canada, and aresident of Toronto, Ontario,

Canada, (whose post-oiiice address is 406 Parliament street, Toronto,Ontario, Can

ada,) have invented a new and useful Improvement in Self-Releasing Lidsupports, which invention is fully set forth in the followingspecification. I

This invention relates to automaticallyreleasing lid-supports for boxesor the like.

-The object of the invention is to provide an improved device of thischaracter, by which upon merely raising the lid or cover of the boxorthe like, the same will be automati-.

Cally held in itsraised position; and, thereafter, the lid can belowered (as by one hand) by merely raising the. lid a trifle higher andthereby automatically releasing the catch so that the lid can be loweredfreely.

Broadly stated, the invention consists of providing in the usual rigidbar (constituting the lld-prop) a longitudinal slot having a seatadapted to engage a stationary support carried by the box, and mountingupon said bar, adjacent said seat, a pivoted dog which permits theengagement of said seat and supphrt when the lid is opened, but preventsen agement of said parts while the lid is being lowered; The inventionconsists further in the features of construction" and arrangementhereinafter set forth and claimed. Alt ou h the invention is susceptibleof embodlmentin various forms, it Wlll be best understood in connectionwith the following detailed description and the accompanying drawlngs,which set forth Wlll. be'swung partly around (toward the one preferredembod ment.

In the drawings Figure 1 1s a perspective of a conventional box orcabinet equipped with the preferred form of the present inbetween theseat and the support, and in dotted lines the position preliminary tolowering the lid; and i Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig? 2.

In these drawings 1 represents a box, cabinet, trunk, or the like; and 2the lid or cover or top hinged thereto. 3 is. a rigid bar, constitutingthe lid-support; it is pivoted at its upper end to the lid, as at 4;,and has the elongated longitudinal slot 5 in its lower portion. 6 is aheaded stud, located in slot 5, and secured rigidly on the inner face ofone of the sides of the box, as 7, near the top thereof, to constitute asupport. At a suitable point, preferably near the lower end of the slot,is a reentrant recess 8, to

constitute the support-receiving seat. A dog is pivoted upon bar 3, at apoint 10, so as to hang down in such position aspractically to cover therecess 8. The lower end of the dog is slightly concaved, and the corner11 ("on the side toward the pivoted end of the bar) is somewhatprolonged, so als to project beyond theseat 8 and into the s ot 5. a

As the lid 2 is raised, the seat 8 comes opposite the support 6, andwill readily engage the same upon thevery slightest lowering of thelid,whereupon the lid is held securely propped open. In order to closethe lid, the latter is first raised a slight distance farther,sufficient to. carry the pivoted dog 9 up past support 6, and thenlowered' At that moment, the relative position of the dog 9 and seat 8-beforejhislowering) is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. It w1ll beseen that, upon thus lowering the lid, the

recessed lower edge of the dog. and its nose 11 will engage upon thestud 6 and the dog left) until thestud has passed into the upper portionof the slot, thus preventing the stud from enteringthe seat, and therebypermitting the lid to be lowered freely the entire distance so as toclose the box.

The invention has been thus described in detail, yet only for the sakeof clearness since the invention is not limited to the preslot, and adog pivoted upon said prop adcise construction and arrangement setforth, jacent said seat and protruding over said but may be embodied ina variety of forms. slot.

Having thus described the lnvention, In testimony whereof I have signedthis 5. what is claimed is: specification in the presence of twosubscrib- 15 n An automatically -releasing lidsupport ing Witnesses.

for boxes or the like, consisting of a slotted GEORGE HENRY BOWEN, JR.prop swinging from the lid and having a Witnesses: seat communicatingwith said slot, a sup- JESSIE Cl WEBSTER,

10 port carried by the box and engaged by said J. P. REGAN.

